paislee presshttp://paisleepress.com
embrace your inner minimalistTue, 20 Feb 2018 22:37:13 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.3http://paisleepress.com
http://paisleepress.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/favicon.pngpaislee press23624811Planner 2018http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/planner/
http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/planner/#commentsTue, 20 Feb 2018 15:00:19 +0000http://paisleepress.com/?p=100164Moleskine weekly planner. It has one week spread on one page and a lined page for notes on the other. As I do not like the horizontal layout, the weekly one has been working well for me. But I also wanted more space at the end of each month for some photos and memory keeping plus some other tweaks here and there.
It was middle of January and I was still without the 2018 planner, so I decided to design it myself. I used Illustrator and created simple monthly and weekly layouts. Then I added Liz's monthly word art. It already looked perfect to me, but as I love velum, I decided to add a velum page with one of perfect Liz's handwritten quotes at the beginning of each month.
First I went to printers to ask how I should print and prepare the pages for them to bind it. Then I printed it at home on a chalk paper 120gsm (it's smooth and writing does not show on other side, therefore perfect for planners). Then it took about 10 days to have it binned and finished. The choice of cover materials was quite limited as I needed a digital gold print on the cover (the twenty eighteen word art).
Do you find it hard to find the perfect planner for you? Or the design and layout is not that important for you? If you found your THE planner, I would love to hear which one it is.
Thank you for reading and see you in March!
Lucie]]>http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/planner/feed/6100164February Press Exhibithttp://paisleepress.com/2018/02/february-press-exhibit-4/
http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/february-press-exhibit-4/#respondMon, 19 Feb 2018 15:00:16 +0000http://paisleepress.com/?p=100108
Happy Monday morning everyone! It's Kelly here to hopefully make your Monday a little better and brighter with a new dose of creative team inspiration! The team created these products using their choice of Paislee Press products and I am once again amazed at the what they've created. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy!

One | Stick with one set of templates or elements

While I love to mix and match design elements, when it comes to knocking out a layout, I try to stick to one set of templates or elements.
You can peruse Liz's gorgeous shop, but pick one product to get started on your layout and try to use as much of that product as you can.
For this layout, I used the Winter Vibes photo templates - and I actually used them for the layout that follows this one.
I tried to use up each template, and because of how Liz designs her kits, everything coordinates so there's white space built into the project and the fonts and elements work so well to give everything a really polished look.
For me, less is usually more, and keeping it simple means I'm more likely to actually complete my layouts in a reasonable amount of time.

Two | Include full bleed photos

What is "full bleed?" It's when your photo reaches all the way to the edges of the frame.
In this case, I use templates to add frames, white spaces, captions, and fun design elements.
But I like the mix of templates with regular, ol' full bleed photos.
I also like the look of a full 4x6 inch photo cut in half vertically (or some other way) so it straddles two pockets.

Three | Add white space with journaling

I'm a huge fan of injecting white space in a layout, and one of my go-to methods is to include plain white journaling cards with one or a few words printed on them.
They serve a narrative purpose by adding a tiny bit of text or a title and they serve a design purpose by creating space for the eye to rest in an otherwise bustling layout.
If every space is occupied by photos or pattern, I find my eyes just give a quick glance and move on to the next page.
But if there's some white space, I find I'm more willing to linger. And when it comes to our memories, that's my goal!

Four | Add a simple insert

For me, the reason I use pocket page albums for some of our memories is that I can include bits of memory that aren't captured in a photo.
My go-to method of creating an insert is to use a basic 8.5 x 11 inch page protector (I buy them inexpensively on Amazon).
I add a piece of cardstock in either white, kraft, or (in this case) black.
Then I adhere the items I want to save.
In this insert I included a gorgeous brochure about "Fika" that we found in the coffee kitchen at Volvo. I adhered the cover only and left the brochure intact so you can still flip through it.
On the flip side, I inserted the sign our Volvo rep was holding at the airport.
We've never purchased a brand new car before and it was such a fun memory to share with my Mom, so I wanted to keep the sign they held when meeting us at the airport.
I just cut it down to size and taped it to the black card stock.
The insert couldn't be simpler, but I like the look of the black card stock and now I don't have to keep track of the brochure or sign elsewhere. They're already plugged into the album amid our photos.
I'd love to hear your favorite elements for simple pocket page layouts!
We've recently moved back to the States from Europe, and I'll be continuing to share our California adventures and my simple approach to memory-keeping over on my blog and on Instagram.
Please come say hello!
xo,
Catherine]]>http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/4-elements-of-a-simple-pocket-page-layout/feed/1100022Creative Team Inspiration | Twenty Eighteenhttp://paisleepress.com/2018/02/creative-team-inspiration-twenty-eighteen/
http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/creative-team-inspiration-twenty-eighteen/#respondThu, 08 Feb 2018 15:00:08 +0000http://paisleepress.com/?p=100010
Hello Everyone! Kelly here and today I want to share with you some new creative team projects using Twenty Eighteen elements and journal cards.
]]>http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/creative-team-inspiration-twenty-eighteen/feed/0100010Project Life – Cover Page and Week Zero 2018 Processhttp://paisleepress.com/2018/02/project-life-cover-page-and-week-zero-2018-process/
http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/project-life-cover-page-and-week-zero-2018-process/#respondTue, 06 Feb 2018 18:00:08 +0000http://paisleepress.com/?p=99980Caylee here. I am so excited for Project Life 2018, you guys. I am so excited for the start of every Project Life. My favourite part of every album is the cover page. In fact, I love it so much that I do it twice. I have included a "Week Zero" as an inner cover page every year since I started in 2013. As soon as I saw the "this messy beautiful life" lettering from Liz, I knew it had to go into this favourite part of my album.
The Week Zero went through so many iterations before I just went with what I knew - simple. The phrase was printed on transparency and put over wax paper and a vintage rose illustration. I was then fancy and stitched over it. I'm in love with how it looks.
Here's my Project Life process from start to finish, including all of the unsure bits.
https://youtu.be/zREP-fJ2Bdk
Go get messy and I'll see you next month.
Products: Messy Beautiful Caylee
You can see previous paislee press projects, or find more bits of me at my blog.]]>http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/project-life-cover-page-and-week-zero-2018-process/feed/099980Messy Beautifulhttp://paisleepress.com/2018/02/messy-beautiful/
http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/messy-beautiful/#commentsSat, 03 Feb 2018 17:28:32 +0000http://paisleepress.com/?p=99971
It's February friends and this month's newest collection is, of course, love themed. A celebration of things, places, activities and the people that we love. And per request from the creative team there's also bits of self love/self care in the kit. Because sometimes we need a reminder to be as kind to ourselves as we are with others.
]]>http://paisleepress.com/2018/02/messy-beautiful/feed/299971How to Create a Minimal Title Layout for your Pocket Page Albumhttp://paisleepress.com/2018/01/how-to-create-a-minimal-title-layout-for-your-pocket-page-album/
http://paisleepress.com/2018/01/how-to-create-a-minimal-title-layout-for-your-pocket-page-album/#respondTue, 30 Jan 2018 15:00:37 +0000http://paisleepress.com/?p=99950Another year, another opportunity to play catch-up on the previous year's projects! Amiright?
Hey gals, it's Catherine. In this post I'm sharing how I put together a very simple title page for our pocket page album.
I used just two Paislee Press products for this layout: the 2017 calendar cards and the (free!) 4x6 photo templates vol. 1 (an oldie but a goodie).
You could definitely put something like this together in no time for a 2018 album, but I actually like to create my title pages at the end of the year or the beginning of the next one.
Here's a look at the full layout:
And close-ups of the left side
...and the right side.

First up, I chose one or two photos from each month.

This is usually the hardest part of the process for me, but since I was SO limited on how many photos I could choose, the process was actually pretty fun.
We spent the year living and traveling in Europe, that part was pretty simple. I went straight for photos I loved from the bigger trips we took that month.
Seeing a picture of the kids in Scotland or Croatia immediately takes me back to that time of the year.
Of course, you'll have different "landmarks" from throughout your year. Maybe you're documenting kid or family milestones, special occasions, or the seasons.
However you want to think of your year, try to pick photos that make sense for your life and that will take you back to that specific period in time.

Second, I edited the photos.

I use A Color Story app on my phone or Lightroom on my computer, but either way, I use the same process.
I'll spare you the nitty gritty details, but basically, I like to brighten, sharpen, and give pics a little contrast before I print them.
I figure if I'm going to the trouble and expense to print a few photos, they might as well look the way I want them to.
I also like to mix in a little black and white among color photos. I think it breaks up the color and gives the eyes a place to focus, and it helps correct any color issues in your images.

Third, I added the calendar cards in Photoshop.

Liz's templates are crazy easy to use. If you've never learned how, then start with this tutorial.
It's the first one I read waaaaay back in 2011 when I first stumbled upon Paislee Press and the whole concept of hybrid scrapbooking and Project Life.
Liz walked me through the whole process of how to use layers in Photoshop, and although your screen will look different now, the same basic rules apply.
If you already know all this stuff, then grab some calendar cards and get going on those templates! Just make sure you've got your photos selected and edited before diving.

Fourth, I sent everything to print.

I don't print my photos at home - I use a local lab or a lab on the internet - and I always choose a matte finish when possible.

Finally, I assembled the layout.

If you're ever worked with pocket pages then you know that this is seriously the most satisfying exercise in the world - ha!
There's nothing quite like doing the prep work, sending it all to print, and getting to assemble a layout in no time flat.
I love how this title page turned out! If you're looking to add one to a past album, check out Liz's supply of calendar cards for past years, and check out the links below for other relevant posts.
How do you like to begin - or end! - a creative project?
You can see more of what I'm up to on Instagram or check out my blog for more modern memory-keeping ideas, tutorials, and inspiration.
xo, Catherine
Further reading:Mixing color with black and white photos
A simple Project Life title page
3 quick and easy photo tips
]]>http://paisleepress.com/2018/01/how-to-create-a-minimal-title-layout-for-your-pocket-page-album/feed/099950Creative Team Inspiration | 2018 Calendar cards + Photo templates + Monthly Vol. 5http://paisleepress.com/2018/01/creative-team-inspiration-2018-calendar-cards-photo-templates-monthly-vol-5/
http://paisleepress.com/2018/01/creative-team-inspiration-2018-calendar-cards-photo-templates-monthly-vol-5/#respondTue, 23 Jan 2018 15:00:45 +0000http://paisleepress.com/?p=99886
Hello everyone! It's Kelly again and I am bringing you some amazing creative inspiration this morning using the new 2018 Calendar 3x4 journal cards (available in Sunday start and Monday start versions), 4x6 photo templates (available in Sunday start and Monday start versions) and Monthly Vol. 5.
]]>http://paisleepress.com/2018/01/creative-team-inspiration-2018-calendar-cards-photo-templates-monthly-vol-5/feed/099886January Press Exhibithttp://paisleepress.com/2018/01/january-press-exhibit-2/
http://paisleepress.com/2018/01/january-press-exhibit-2/#commentsSat, 20 Jan 2018 15:00:56 +0000http://paisleepress.com/?p=99817
Good morning everyone! Kelly here I am thrilled to bring you the first edition of the Press Exhibit in the new year and the very first one with our new 2018 creative team! The Press Exhibit showcases projects made by the team with the Paislee Press products of their choice. This group of projects is truly inspiring and I can't wait to share them with you!